I hesitate to even acknowledge Bill Maher’s appalling September 14 monologue about the recent Applebees nurse-in (see background below) and the issue of breastfeeding in public. I am not a TV watcher, and (prior to this week) I honestly didn’t know exactly who Bill Maher was – I mean, I knew it was a name I should recognize, but I couldn’t have told you if he was a football player, business person, or TV personality/buffoon. (You don’t want me on your team in Trivial Pursuit!) I guess I wasn’t missing much. My new friend at salon.com (Katharine Mieszkowski, a breastfeeding/pumping/working mom) asked if I had any comments about Maher’s monologue. Take a look at the monologue for yourself – fast-forward until there are 2 minutes and 51 seconds of nauseating commentary left in the clip…
The background:
As you may know, there was a nurse-in at Applebees nationwide on September 8. This was to protest the fact that a waitperson and manager at a Kentucky Applebees restaurant insisted that a mother cover her son as she breastfed him in a booth at the back of the restaurant. Apparently, a customer had complained about indecent exposure. The Lactivist blog and the Motherwear breastfeeding blog both cover the story well (no pun intended).
The Lactivist also has something to say about Bill Maher’s commentary.
And I loved the salon.com Broadsheet article on it. Seems it got plenty of attention — 220 comments and counting!!
Now for my two cents:
In a study of one Bill Maher monologue, it appears that he makes a living by saying outrageous things to offend large groups of people, while amusing others who agree with such things as comparing “retarded” children with dogs, making fun of Steve Irwin’s death and suggesting that Hooters is the only place where breasts and food go together. So he’s not really my kind of guy.
1. I believe babies have a right to receive breastmilk, and to receive it directly from their mothers’ breasts.
2. I believe that men who think breasts (and women) are sexual objects should grow up.
3. I believe that if more people understood the extent to which breastmilk benefits babies, mothers and, ultimately, society, the debate about nursing in public would be over. And the formula industry would have to find another cash cow to milk.
4. I believe that people who are offended by breastfeeding in public should look the other way.
To Bill Maher, I say: think about the fact that a breastfed baby is 39% less likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes, 19% less likely to have Leukemia, 27% less likely to have Asthma, and the list goes on. A breastfeeding mother is 28% less likely to have breast cancer, 21% less likely to have ovarian cancer, and the list goes on. Not so funny, after all!
In the end, it’s really about what’s best for the BABY - in fact, what’s NEEDED by the baby, not what’s preferred by Applebees diners… or Bill Maher!
5. I believe that Bill Maher should NOT procreate!
What do you believe?
All for now, Cate